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The Annie E. Casey Foundation
The Ford Foundation
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Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation
US Department of Housing and Urban Development
Interactive Maps
The Urban Institute's interactive maps are for researchers, students, journalists, elected officials, and the public on the state of metropolitan economies.
Data Collection
Urban Institute researchers take advantage of dozens of existing quantitative data sets to study the world. These data come from the many federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as from dozens of private and proprietary sources.
Data Analysis
Effective analysis of broad, complex research questions requires a rich tool kit of methods. Urban researchers use quantitative and qualitative strategies to provide rigorous and nuanced explanations of the meaning behind the data.
Observation
Sometimes researchers will go to a certain place to watch and examine what is happening in that setting and document what they see. This qualitative method is referred to as observation. There are two forms of observation: participant observation, where the researcher takes part in the activities of the group, and nonparticipant or onlooker observation, where the researcher simply observes the activities. Most of the Urban Institute’s work is
Focus Groups
A focus group is made up of individuals who share a common characteristic who participate in a moderated discussion. For example, they might be participants in the same program or residents in the same neighborhood. Focus groups can tell you what a group of people thinks about a certain topic or set of topics and why they think that way.